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Companies that rely on nitrogen for their daily applications may benefit from generating their own supply rather than purchasing from a third-party supplier. When it comes to choosing the right nitrogen generator for your facility there are some details to consider.

Whether you use it for food packaging, engineering, or other applications, you’ll need a generator suited to your business needs. There are a wide range of models available, designed to fit custom situations. Below are some questions to consider before you make the final selection.

What Type of Nitrogen Generator Do You Need?

The type of nitrogen generator that your company needs depends on the industry that you are in, and how much nitrogen you require. Pressure Swing Adsorption generators can produce nitrogen purity levels close to 99.999 percent for flows up to 1100 NM3/h. This makes them ideal for plastic molding, metallurgy, purging analyzers, pharmaceutical, or food and beverage applications.

How Much Nitrogen Do You Use?

A nitrogen generator that produces more nitrogen than your business can use will end up costing you money in the long run, in unused nitrogen. On the flip side, if your use exceeds production, you’ll have slowdowns within your production.

For example, a brewery will not use as much nitrogen as a large medical facility. It’s important to match the system as closely as possible with your needs. This is the best way to ensure that you are getting the most from your on-location nitrogen production.

What Purity Do You Need?

The purity level of the nitrogen that you’ll need to produce is an important consideration for any business. The purity level is expressed as a percentage. For example, a 95 percent purity would be 95 percent nitrogen and 5 percent oxygen and other inert gasses.

In high purity cases, it may be marked as PPMv oxygen remaining in the product gas. In this case, a 10 PPMv is the same thing as 99.999 percent pure nitrogen. A 10,000 PPMv equals 1 percent O2.

Food and beverage or medical applications, for example, typically require a high-purity nitrogen. There are other examples of industries that require higher-purity nitrogen listed above. If you fall into these categories, then pressure swing adsorption is likely going to be the right type of generator for your business.

Pressure Swing Adsorption is used when purity levels need to be above the 99.5 percent threshold. When purity levels can fall into the 95 to 99.5 range, membrane technology can be used.

What Kind of Space Do You Have?

Nitrogen generators come in a range of sizes. It’s important to find one that works within any space limitations you may have inside your facility. The technicians at Compressor Services can help you select a system that is right for the amount of space that you have available within your facility.

What is the Cost of a Nitrogen Generator?

Investing in a nitrogen generator will carry an upfront cost but can save you money in the long run, versus paying for your nitrogen. Depending on how much nitrogen you use, and the size of your operation, you can usually see a return on this investment quickly.

Nitrogen generators can vary widely in cost, depending on your needs. They may start around $5,000 and can go as high as $30,000. This is why it is important to understand your current usage and needs before you purchase.

Another option to spread out the cost of your investment is renting the nitrogen generator. But when you purchase your machine, you’ll eventually take ownership and be able to save money on the monthly payments.

Be Ready With Your Details

When you shop for a nitrogen generator it’s important to keep all these key details in mind. The friendly experts at Compressor Services can help you to select a nitrogen generator that’s right for your business.

Are you ready to purchase a nitrogen generator for your business? Contact us today!